Reclaiming His Humanity Short Story
by Efforia
Summary: Tutes is back on Infinity, things are tense, and a soldier never breaks under intensity. But how well can she handle the terse sensitivity between her and the Chief? Even worse, he's out to get some questions answered, and 013 just may not be able to keep them from him.
1. Take Care Or I Will

Author's Note: Hello lovely halo people, I have been writing for Halo for years now, just not on fanfiction since I had previously given up on it. But I guess I'm back now to join the community. As for this story, it's just a short that I have comprised using characters from Reclaiming His Humanity by the brilliant ByAGhost.

Solitary But Embraced

Sleep. Sleep was beautiful. It was a peacefulness that 013 wouldn't trade for anything. However, as much as she loved it, she still had to slide from her cot and head to the showers eventually. Things had been….awkward since she'd returned to Infinity, having to avoid the spartans and all, but she'd kept her head up. The Chief stared at her during meetings with Lasky and the AI. She knew it despite the fact that he had yet to take his helmet off in her presence. She could imagine the scornful look that was probably all over his face. She hated that it had come to this with him. And her friendship with Fred had been caught in the crossfire too. 013 shook her head with a huff as she trotted down the silent halls of Infinity, heading to the showers for her morning routine. She always showered as early in the morning as possible to avoid an unwanted visit from any ODST's. She was quick to get through the shower before wrapping herself in a grey, standard towel. After dressing herself, she approached the steam clouded mirror and began to braid back her wet hair. She winced upon raising her arms above her head however, having forgotten about wrenching it out of place while sparring with Jeff.

"Damn that hurts like a bitch." she swore, dropping her arm. 'Jeff you ass.' she thought with a tinge of malice towards the other soldier. If he hadn't pulled her arm so far behind her back she wouldn't be so sore now. Granted, she wouldn't be sore if she had listened to him and gone to the medbay, but that's besides the point. A large, warm presence fell atop her good shoulder, and 013 jumped. A steel blue gaze met hers in the mirror, and the hybrid gulped. 'What the hell is _he_ doing here?' she thought.

"Jefferson did a number on you." he mumbled, bending ever so slightly at the waist so he could mumble in her ear.

"You saw that?" she asked, trying to ignore the heavy weight of his hand on her shoulder. He nodded, sliding his fingers through her wet hair as he went about the task she'd been about to perform. A small hitch of breath took place in her chest.

"You were distracted. You weren't focusing on your opponent and you're lucky to be as bruised as you are. Had that been an actual enemy-"

"Had that been an actual enemy I'd be dead and wouldn't have to sit through this damn conversation. I see my mistake now, I picked the wrong opponent." she interrupted, earning herself a sharp tug on her hair. "Ow!" she yelped, and shot him a glare via the mirror.

"My bad." he said calmly. 013 let out a huff as he pulled the hair tie from her wrist and tied off the braid. "What did the doctors give you for this?" he asked, pressing his thumb to her swollen shoulder. She winced and jerked away.

"Pain meds." she mumbled.

"You're lying." he denounced.

"And how would you know?" she argued, whipping around to face him.

"Because you never went to the med-bay." he answered for her. 013 felt her jaw go slack.

"How did you know that? Have you been spying on me?" she asked incredulously. 'Apparently he hasn't just been watching me during meetings.' she thought.

"Contrary actually. You told me. Just now. I had my suspicions." he said. 013 took a step back from him, and winced when her back hit the edge of the sink.

"It doesn't matter if I went to the med-bay or not. I'm off the roster, I won't be seeing action for a while anyway." she shot back. He gave her a look of dry humor, and turned away from her. "What?" she asked as he made deathly quiet footfalls towards the door. He shook his head softly.

"It's none of my business, but you should take better care of yourself. Before someone else has to. I don't see you liking that option very much." 013 watched him leave, completely and utterly confused.

"You're distracted. Bad morning?" Jeff asked, pulling 013 from the memory of that morning as he joined her for breakfast.

"You could say that." she mumbled.

"Sorry about yesterday by the way, I didn't think it would still be bothering you today." he said sheepishly. 013 paused her eating.

'How does he know that…' Her eyes settled on Jeff with a cautious look. "How uhh.. How'd you know it was still giving me trouble?" she asked. Jeff gave her a look of pure, innocent confusion.

"The Chief, duh. He stopped me in the hall early. Told me to go easy on you if we trained together again today. Said your shoulder wasn't doing too well but you were being too stubborn to admit….it…..Tutes?" he asked. 013's face was a blotchy, angry red.

"That rat bastard. None of his business my ass." she stated firmly as she stood from her seat.

"Where are you going?" Jeff called after her as she marched towards the doors of the mess hall.

"To deal with shit." she said, stomping on her way out. She grabbed the handle of the door and swung it open, right into her nose. Shit.

"Either you kinda suck at card games, or you're really busy thinking about something else." Fred commented. The Chief responded with a despondent hmph, one that left much information to be desired. "What does that mean?" the lieutenant asked.

"013. She's-"

"So you're daydreaming?" he interrupted. John glared at him over his hand of cards.

"No. Something isn't ok. She's not taking care of herself. I'm concerned how far she's going to let that go." he explained. Fred shrugged.

"Then do something about it. Tutes is just stubborn sometimes and needs someone to step in. Sound familiar?" Fred teased. John's brow dipped in confusion.

"Tutes?" he asked.

"Yeah. Tutes. It's what she goes by. I don't really get it, but it's not my name." Frederick said simply. A knock sounded on the door, a slightly vicious knock to be exact, and the Chief set his cards down on the small table he and Fred were seated at.

"I'll get it, I should be heading out anyways." he said. The Spartan opened the sliding door of the Master Chief's private quarters and…..oh hell.

"Tutes? The hell ha-" he began.

"Where is he?" she seethed. Fred cautiously let his eyes rove her bloody nose and the discoloration around her eye.

"He uhhh, he's inside. You...you take care of yourself, ok?" the grey eyed woman ignored him, storming past. Fred took his que to quickly and quietly duck out. As for John, as soon as his eyes settled on her they went wide.

"What the-"

"That's my line! Don't you start with me!" she shrieked before he could even ask what had happened to her face."For something that's none of your business you took quite a liberty in making it just that." she spat. John's eyes narrowed.

"Jefferson." he stated simply.

"Yeah, Jeff. You practically told him to baby me!" she exclaimed, completely enraged. The chief glared softly as he leaned back in his chair.

"If you don't want to be treated like a child, then don't act like one. You barely have the right to be offended when you're standing there with your face looking the way it does." he pointed out.

"Don't you bring my face into this!" she demanded, and the spartan winced at the sheer volume. Deciding he was done wit the argument, he stood from his chair and promptly pushed her into another one. "What are you-"

"Don't. We can have this talk _after_ we do something about….." his eyes roamed over her face and he shook his head. "All that." 013 huffed, but didn't argue.

"I'm fine." she assured pointlessly. The spartan ignored her as he went about pouring a disinfectant onto a cotton round, and pressed it to her face. She didn't jerk from the stinge but John caught a wince.

"Who did this to you? The ODST's again?" he asked, a stern look in his eyes. 013 bit her lip. She couldn't just tell him she hit herself in the face, with the mess door of all things too.

"Sure, something like that." she said, feeling her anger dissipate into embarrassment. He shot her a look of disapproval.

"Be more specific." he ordered simply. 013 groaned.

"The ODSTs didn't actually have anything to do with it." she muttered as he disposed of the bloody cotton rounds.

"Then who did?" he asked, crossing his arms.

"The...the mess hall." she admitted in an uptight, trepidation way. He blinked.

"The entire mess hall jumped you?" he asked in disbelief. 013 shook her head. "I'm not following." he stated.

"The door. I was mad, and I opened the door too hard and….yeah." she muttered, looking away from him. He stared at her for a long moment, letting the awkward silence wash over them.

"You...hit yourself in the face. With a the mess hall door?" he asked for clarification.

"Yeah, yeah. Don't rub it in. I'm retarded, I get it. Can we talk about something else? Like you going behind my back and talking shit to my best friend? Cause that wasn't cool." she mumbled.

"What's not 'cool' is watching you beat yourself to death, literally in this case, and not take care of it." he bantered.

"I don't really see how that's your concern." she argued. The Chief pressed his lips together firmly.

"Because you're one of my spartans." he stated before he could think better of it. 013's head shot in his direction, jaw slack and grey eyes wide.

"No. Fred is one of your Spartans. Kelly and Linda are your spartans. You care about them." she argued. Her eyes were becoming watery now. The Chief gave her a look that seemed almost flabbergasted.

"I care about you." time seemed to stop when those words reached her ears. HE cared about her? _Her?_ "I care about you just as much as them. Why would you think differently?" he asked, as if he truly didn't understand.

"Because you don't have to." she said, as if it were obvious. His eyes seemed to grow warmer at the declaration.

"Yes, that's true." he said with a nod. "But that doesn't change the fact that I- _we_ care about you." he added.

"We? We who? You mean Blue Team? What business do they have caring about someone like me? I've been nothing but trouble since the beginning. Hell I've been a problem as long as I can remember!" she argued again.

"If I sat here and told you-in detail- about all the times Fred, Kelly, or even Linda have caused me trouble, we'd be here an awful long time." he chuckled. The sound was warm, and caused 013's shoulders to relax. Did he really care about her? Was such a thing really possible.

"You barely know anything about me, hell I've even kept things from you about me, why would you-" she had to pause to take in a deep breath. John set one of his heavy hands on her shoulder in attempt to reason with her, but regretted the decision as soon as a wince crossed her face. Shit.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to-"

"It's fine, I'm fine. Everything is fine." she interrupted. "I need to leave." she said, standing quickly from her chair. Unfortunately, fate had other plans for her. The toe of her boot caught on the horizontal bar connecting the legs, and 013 found herself sprawling on the floor like the mess she was. She was certain there must have been bruising on her face from a dive like that. She went to attempt the motion of standing once more, but she was all to quickly being lifted from the floor by another, stronger force. She was placed on her feet as gently as possible, and she bit her lip as her face flushed.

"Please just...sit. Before you find other ways to injure yourself." he grumbled, having officially had enough of her shenanigans, his hands locked firmly on her biceps. His eyes briefly flicked to her lips. "You're bleeding again." he informed her as he retrieved a more extensively packed med-kit.

"You don't need to do tha-"

"No, you don't get to argue with me after that. Have you seen a medic about that shoulder yet or not?" he asked, briefly pausing as he sifted through the contents of his kit. There was this underlying attitude of finality, as if he'd been on the edge about his position on her predicament until now, and he had just made up his mind.

"Not." she admitted, biting at her lip, only to wince when it stung. He visibly huffed at her, before approaching her with a jar of salve and bottle of blue gel-like substance. In one fluid motion the lid was off the jar and he had scooped some of its contents onto his thumb, before applying it to her lips without so much as a warning about the sting. 'He could use a few Damn classes on bedside manner.' she thought briefly. The rough texture of his calloused thumb against the smooth surface of her bottom lip felt similar to running sandpaper over an open wound, but maybe it was just the burn of the salve that made the contact so uncomfortable. She considered telling him that she could do it herself, but then again he probably already knew that. So why was he doing it anyway?

"Are you wearing anything under that?" he asked, jesutring to her shirt. The question caused her mind to momentarily blank.

"I ah, yes." she stumbled. She'd put on a black spaghetti strap undershirt after her shower that morning. It was a spare that had been sitting in her locker for some time. 'You never know what Jeff is going to steal when you're in the shower.' she had thought, and for good reason too.

"Take the shirt off." 013 had to physically restrain her jaw from dropping. She was in the Master Chief's room, and he had just asked her to take off her shirt? The look on her face must have screamed that she looked ready to bolt for he quickly added an explanation. "This'll help your shoulder. It's either this, or I take you to the med-bay." he stated in finality. 013 nodded dumbly as she rid herself of her thick outer layer. She watched as he prepared to apply some of that odd blue gel to her swollen shoulder, and jumped when it touched her skin.

"Uhh, is that supposed to burn like that?" she asked warily.

"It's an icy-hot. Yes it's supposed to feel like that." he informed her in a very deadpanned tone as his other arm braced in front of her chest, giving her something to lean on as he pressed gently into the aggravated tissues. If he wasn't careful he could push her right out of the chair. She jerked when he seemingly found the most sensitive spot, and he mumbled an apology in her ear. She didn't realize until after the fact that her hands had come up to grip his other wrist at the surge of pain, and he also didn't ask her to let go. Eventually, 013 closed her eyes and let herself come to terms with the fact that he was very much determined to take care of her for some reason. Or at least, a reason she hadn't fully accepted yet.

"Can I ask you a question?" he rumbled softly in her ear. It was an effort not to tense.

"If it's 'does this shit happen to me often' the answer is yes, it does." she ground out as he pressed another sensitive area of muscle near her shoulder blade.

"Not quite." he began. "Why...why Tutes?" he asked carefully. She went completely silent for a moment, and John was almost sure he felt her body go limp. 'so she doesn't like to talk about that then.'

"What? Something wrong with it?" she asked, daring him to say anything controversial. He shook his head.

"No, that's not what I meant. I just hadn't heard it before. It's uncommon." he supplied, applying another glob of the gel that 013 was quickly coming to despise. Then again he himself had the most normal name on any planet, so it wasn't as if he could really judge

"Doesn't surpri- Ow! The hell are you pressing on?!" she exclaimed.

"The problem." he answered bluntly. The space between her neck and shoulder blade was unnaturally sensitive.

"Well stop!" she demanded.

"Go see a doctor."

"I don't need one!" she argued in frustration.

"Then I see no reason that you can't put up with it." his voice held an authoritative tone that she could only agree with, but that didn't settle well with her pride.

"I didn't ask you to do this." she stated vhenemently.

"Of course you didn't. You're too stubborn to. I told you someone else would have to step in if you didn't start taking care of yourself." he chided.

"Maybe you should just stop caring then, give us both a break." she snarled. He paused, and 013 knew she had made a mistake. The hand that lay across her front tightened on her good shoulder as he leaned her backwards enough to make eye contact.

"You are unnaturally violent when it comes to verbalization. I suggest you get a handle on that before someone who outranks you decides to take it seriously." It sounded like a threat more than a warning to 013. His icy blue eyes caused her to gulp as they stared into her own.

"I...didn't mean..to." she stumbled.

"To what?" he asked, calling her out even more than before.

"I..I don't." why was she so stuttery?

"Do I make you uncomfortable?" he asked, leaning even closer to her.

"No!" she defended immediately. He raised a brow as his face came another inch near.

"Then why can't you get out anything but insults when I'm around? Hmmm?" he goaded. His mouth was very close to hers now. "Or is there something else I don't know about?" he muttered with soft breath against her face. There was a sliver of anticipation in his eyes, maybe even hopefulness if 013 was willing to let herself mistake it for that.

He watched her grey eyes closely, intent on catching every emotion that played across her face. She didn't say a word, but the silence spoke for her.

"huh." he mumbled, pulling his hands back and crossing his arms. He could have been wrong, but he was convinced he saw something in the surge of panic swirling in her eyes. "Well, you're free to go." he stated simply. Tutes stared dumbly at him.

'What?' She had come in here to let loose on him, and now she wasn't sure what to do.

"Thats… that's it?" 013 mumbled almost dazed from the full 180. He simply nodded, packing away the medical supplies that had resided on the small coffee table. She stood carefully from the chair and walked mindlessly to his door, unsure of how to handle what had just transpired. The Chief watched her leave, waiting until she was fully out the door to let a full fledged smirk reside on his face.


	2. Valentines Fail

VALENTINE'S FAIL

Warning: sexual content is mentioned through gossip among soldiers, but not described. Note that all unsavory topics are used for dramatic effect and artistic purpose.

Note: Characters will be slightly OOC for the purpose of humor, keep in mind that the goal was not accuracy but merely to amuse the reader. As always credit goes to 343 and bungie for Halo, and Credit for Tutes goes to ByAGhost. I love writing shorts about her characters seeing as I have yet to find the time to type up all the handwritten crap of my own characters but still miss contributing to this site. This particular piece was co-written by my editor and I, who decided it needed some cheese. Without further ado, Enjoy!

It was always loud and rowdy in the mess. John didn't really understand why other people didn't like to eat in peace, but unfortunately the other marines didn't share his preference for a quieter lunch. John had made the excuse that he had a 'lunch meeting' when Stacy had asked him to accompany her, but in reality, he'd more or less imposed on Jefferson's lunch break, acting as if the man had been expecting him and apologizing for being late. Jeff had given him an odd look, before tilting his body to the side as to see the blonde staring holes in the back of the Spartan's head from afar.

"Oh." John raised a brow at the marines simple revelation.

"yeah…" he wasn't entirely sure what else to say on the topic of stacy. He wasn't sure of stacy period.

"She's obsessively into you. I'm sorry for your misfortune." Jeff said, taking another bite of food. John nodded tersely, his throat thick at the idea of the blonde's attention.

"Count yourself lucky." he murmured. The only woman he ever saw Jefferson around was Tutes, which only served to make him a little jealous.

"I don't know about that…" he said, ducking his head away from someone behind the Chief. The Spartan blinked in confusion before turning to the side to look behind him and down slightly. Even sitting he passed the woman in height, but she was by no means short.

"Jefferson, I assume you've taken precautions that your lunch break won't cut into our private meeting?" she said gruffly.

"Course not." he said, avoiding eye contact. John looked between Jefferson and the officer with mild confusion, but a hint of curiosity.

"good, because what I have to discuss with you is very important. Enjoy your lunch marine." she said, the heels of her boots clicking against the floor as she sauntered away.

"What was that about?" John asked cautiously. Jefferson looked to him with an exasperated expression.

"That, my friend, was my commander, asking for me to privately meet her for her valentines day confession." he sourly picked at his food. Now John's curiosity was piqued.

"What is a Valentine's day? Is that like...a birthday?" he asked, poking idly at his meal. Jefferson looked up, raising a quizzical brow.

"you've never heard of valentines day?" John shook his head.

"They didn't teach us about holidays. Just…." just war. "it doesn't matter, what is it though?" he asked.

"Its...how do I explain?" he put down his fork. "It's like a love holiday. Basically a day when you can show people you care for them." John continued his meal in silence, mulling over the concept.

"So if one wanted to show affection-" John began suddenly, startling the marine. "and they didn't want it to be taken simply as good samaritanism, they would display their affection _on valentines day_?" he asked for clarification. Jefferson gave him a look, then shrugged.

"Yeah. Pretty much." John contemplated a moment more on the subject. This...could yield some headway with a certain 013.

Tutes ran down the hall, her hair in a messy ponytail. She hadn't meant to sleep in, but with her lack there of over the past week she had no control over the subject. Running into the room she slipped into her designated spot for line up, hoping to God above Laskey didn't notice.

"Well look who finally decided to join us." commander Sarah palmer. _Shit_. "Lasky, I think we missed a lady in our headcount, and you know how us females are, we never like to be left out." _Asshole_! She thought as Lasky sighed, pulling a slip of paper from the back of his clipboard and approaching 013.

"I'm sorry 13, I know your in enough trouble as it is, but I can't afford to bend the rules for you anymore than I already am. I expect you to fill this out and bring it to me this afternoon. We'll discuss your punishment later." he said, handing her a late card with an apologetic look. 013 sighed and reluctantly took the card, assuming standard military stance. A group of ODSTs to her left snickered at her misfortune, which was technically her fault to begin with, and she responded in turn with a bird.

John had everything ready. It was all set up according to plan and he hoped this attempt would go smoothly. At least, smoother than the last. Looking over his prepared picnic lunch,he packed it up in a box and tucked it under his arm. It wasn't a fancy box, nothing covered in red, or in hearts, or in flowers. Just a metal lunch box filled with sandwiches and bottled water. It wasn't the best meal, but with the limited amount of time it was all he could come up with.

He would try the gym first, that was usually where she was stationed most of the day anyway. But, to his wonderful Spartan luck he saw her walking down the hallway.

"013." he voiced, loud enough to get her attention. Tutes visible winced at hearing her name called from across the hall, and a group of ODSTs snorted, whispering about how she was likely in more trouble.

"Chief...how's it going?" she asked, an awkward smile on her lips and her shoulders hunched. She didn't sound all that interested in his answer however and looked ready to dash. People were staring at her, her reprimand from Lasky not yet forgotten. She tried to maintain her usual flamboyant composure, but at the moment she felt very….small.

"I'd like your accompaniment with me on the recreational deck." Tutes stared wide eyed at him. He wanted what now?

"You mean...like...help finding it..cause I can give you directions…" she trailed off.

"No. I'd like you to come with me for lunch. I'm well aware of where it is." He said, straightforwardly. With his helmet on she couldn't read him, which meant the purpose behind his actions became even more indiscernible. Her eyes scanned his posture, trying to read from what little was there to be read.

"I uhh...I have to be somewhere soon...is it gonna take long?" she asked, eyes darting around to look at the people watching them.

"No, not if need be." He said understandably. "I want you to have lunch with me." he said again, hoping she would get the idea.

"You...want to have lunch with me?" she asked. "Alone?" something had to be up here. Maybe he was just using this as a way to get away from Stacy again. Her heart tightened at the idea of being used by him for such a thing. He nodded in response.

"I'll be your scapegoat if you are late for whatever you will be doing later." he said in reassurance, banking on her yes and refusing to take no for an answer. Tutes tried very hard not to think about how that conversation would go. 'sorry I'm late to receive my punishment, I was off picnicking with the Master Chief, so we're cool right?' yeah no. That wouldn't bode well.

"Alright. I'd rather not be late though. It's….important...stuff." she lied. The Chief nodded and began walking the opposite way she had come, expecting her to follow. Tutes let out a sigh, walking after him with quick small steps in an attempt to match his longer strides. The trip up the elevator was completely silent, and 013 had to try her hardest not to squirm.

When they arrived he led her to the gardens, a place she hadn't seen while aboard the ship, and assumed it was beyond her jurisdiction.

"Do you come up here often?" she asked. Wow, had she really just resorted to bar style small talk? Real smooth 013. "I mean...I never come up here…" she trailed off.

"Marines are not allowed on the recreational floor without a commander's approval. I only walk in the garden when I need space to think." 013 supposed that made sense. He wasn't much of a talker, but that didn't mean he didn't have a lack of things to think about.

"Huh, well thinking isn't really my strong suit." she was silent for a moment before the implications of her words sank in. "Wait, no. I do think, I mean, i'm not dumb...allegedly apparently." she needed to stop.

"I know you're not stupid. You're just rash sometimes." 013 snorted.

"You have me pegged _really_ well then." she admitted. "But sometimes rashness is what gets you out alive." she said a little bitterly. A heavy, warm hand briefly fell atop her shoulder, an attempt at reassurance. He didn't say anything in response, and they walked the rest of the way to the garden in silence.

Punching in a code, the door to the Gardens opened, and 013 was met with a sight contrasting greatly with the grey, cold, metal ship. There were small trees scattered, flowering bushes laid out precisely, and pops of color everywhere. The fragrance was a subtle sweetness, one she wasn't accustomed to when living in the striped belly of the ship. The air gave off a peace you couldn't find anywhere else on the Infinity, not even in the privacy of one's dorm room. It was, in one word, beautiful.

"We have a Garden? How did I not know we have a Garden? I'd have snuck up here ages ago!" she exclaimed. The chief hid a small, triumphant smile under his helmet as they began to walk inside.

"That's one of the reasons I didn't tell you." He responded with the hint of a tease in his tone. Her eyes narrowed slightly.

"I know you're not teasing me." she half threatened, giving him a raised brow in a questioning manner.

"Of course not." Chief dead panned. Tutes sent him a halfhearted glare.

"Don't try your luck Master Chief." she warned, albeit a tad playfully. Was that a suppressed snort she just heard.

"I have plenty to spare." He commented, picking a spare bench. Granted, there were only two other people in the whole garden and plenty of free benches, however, the firelillies seemed to remind him of the woman at his side, and therefore seemed the most appropriate.

Tutes took a seat at the opposite end of the bench, leaving room for him to set out the light lunch he had packed. Sandwiches...he made sandwiches….well. It was a picnic after all. She forced herself not to react to the food, fully expecting it not to taste very good. He was a war hero, not a cullinist, and 013 mentally reminded herself to be polite before even picking up the meal. He made no effort to explain himself for the simple meal, and simply took off his helmet. She took note of his appearance, his hair was freshly cut. 'He looks nice- no. don't go there 013. That's not allowed.' she mentally scolded herself as she picked up one of the previously set out delly meals. It was a sloppy joe. Not a dry cafeteria style joe or a dripping barbecue joe, but an evenly balanced, delicious delicacy joe.

"You…." she began, licking at the corners of her mouth.

"I?" he goaded.

"You can cook?" she asked, grey eyes wide in disbelief, as if she'd expected less of him.

"That's surprising?" he had to hide his grin on the inside.

"I'm...I'm just...yeah. I mean, most people can't, I wouldn't eat at the mess hall three times a day If I could." she floundered for some semblance of a worthy response to his offense. But, he didn't seem offended. In fact, there was a slight tug at the corner of his mouth that looked almost like appreciation.

"Preparing a meal is a simple step by step process to reach an end goal. Each step, depending on the desired taste, is vital to achieve your wanted goal, so following each step to the letter is important if you want something delicious in the end." He ended, taking a calculated bite out of his own sandwich.

"Easier said than done." she said pointedly as she went in for another bite. However she squeezed the bun a little too tightly, and the contents of the sandwich dropped into her lap. She looked down at it in sudden despair, both for her soiled pants and the loss of food, before looking around sheepishly and scooping it back onto her bun. It looked as if she had crapped her pants backwards.

She heard a low, rumbling chuckle that sent goosebumps up her spine. The chief suppressed his grin but she could see the mirth in his crowd feet and the corners of his lips. He handed her a prepacked napkin, delicately taking a bite of his own sandwich in teasing response to her accident. "Oh stuff it tin can." she muttered, trying to clean herself up. "Damn unlucky number."

This response seemed to goad a louder, deeper rumble of laughter. "It's not funny! I look like I shat myself!" she defended with a whine. Lasky was going to kill her for ruining another pair of civvies. This response caused him to immediately put a hand over his mouth in suppressed laughter, his eyes looking to her lap. He somehow managed to swallow. This day just couldn't get any more embarrassing. Of all the people for this to happen in front of, it just had to be the Chief.

"I swear they're going to stop giving me clothes if I bring in another pair of stained up laundry." she groaned, rubbing vigorously at the stain.

"Oh? And what other stains have you acquired?" this was an innocent, maybe teasing question. But through all that time she spent with Jefferson, innocence was not the first thing to enter her mind.

"I D-DON'T SEE HOW THAT'S ANY OF YOUR BUSINESS WHAT I DO IN MY SPARE TIME!" she shrieked. What. The chief blinked in confusion at her outburst and her flushed complexion. Did he say something out of line? His expression gave way to the obvious mistake she had made, and that only aided in the reddening of her features. "I MEAN NEVERMIND!" she added, unable to contain her flusteredness. "I uhh, I should go, to change, I need to change before my reprimand. I MEAN MEETING! I need to change before my meeting. Yes. That." she said, awkwardly standing and giving him an oddly stiff wave, bending at the knees. 'Was that a curtsey? Why the hell did I just curtsey?'

"Alright." was his only response. He was still actively processing her reaction. She quickly ran out the door, and nearly slamming into a group of ODSTs standing outside the gardens. They group watched as she fled the scene, tomato colored juice all down the front of her pants, before looking back to the Master Chief who watched her leave in a disturbed confusion. The head ODST turned to his companions and snickered.

"Well what do we have here boys" he whispered.

"Tutes, if you'd have just told me you needed to clean up I wouldn't have minded you being a little late." Lasky said as he took in her appearance. There was sauce on her face and suit, and her flushed features made her look slightly deranged. Mentally cursing her luck she defaulted to respectful standing position.

"I, um. I was eating and had an accident." her eyes went wide. "I mean I spilled some food on myself, and was against the clock so I just- ran here…" Lasky blinked in partial amusement and disappointment in her luck.

"Alright 013, I'll give things to you straight and quick so you can go clean up. What happened today absolutely cannot happen again under any circumstances. That said, given that you're already in enough trouble with the board, I'm going to slide this under the rug for you. Don't make me regret that." he threatened like any parental figure would. She nodded in guilt, hands fiddling behind her.

"Yes sir. Thank you sir." Lasky raised a brow at her montone response.

"At ease 013. What happened?" he asked he didn't feel comfortable with the unusual attitude she was portraying. "If it's about this morning, I was only so strict with you to make a show of it. You're less likely to get more flack from the ODSTs if they don't see you getting special treatment." he pointed out.

"no, its- Chief has been acting...odd?" she wasn't sure why he had asked her to eat with him in the first place. It was so out of the ordinary.

"Odd how? Is there something I should be concerned about?" Lasky asked. He knew the Chief had been sorting some things out the past few weeks, but not what.

"He asked me to accompany him for lunch. I don't think he DOES that." Lasky raised a brow curiously.

"I don't believe so."

"it's just odd. I don't really know what to do with it. Or the fact I spilled sloppy joe all over me in front of him…" she grumbled to herself

There was an abundance of chatter at the ODST table that day, the majority of it surrounding 013. "I saw her in the hallway earlier, you should have seen her pants."

"I heard she got off scott-free when she met with the Captain in private. Bunch of bull if you ask me." another marine chimed in.

"You think that's bad? Guess who we saw her eating lunch with before her meeting?" All eyes turned to the head of the group. "She and the Master Chief were on the recreation deck, alone. _Together_." he punctuated.

"I bet you they're seeing each other. That ONI agent is clearly into him, and she doesn't like the freak either." another cut in. There was a pause.

"You guys..I bet that's how she got away with it! She's got 'connections' now that her and the Master Chief are doing whatever they do behind closed doors." The group nodded in agreement at the revelation.

"Wouldn't surprise me one bit."

"So what are we here for?" Fred inquired, joining the rest of the crew in the mess hall. "

"I need a favor from you all. I..attempted to do something nice for 013, but I believe it went more downhill than I intended. I need the three of you to help me set up something nice for 013, a dinner or something." he explained curtly. Fred smiled slyly.

"Ok, is this meant to be a surprise?" Kelly inquired.

"Well, sort of. I'll need one of you to actually get her there, Fred, I'm counting on you fo that part, as for Linda and Kelly, I need you two to help me setup something a bit nicer than sandwiches on a bench." he instructed.

"You mean like a candle lit dinner?" Linda asked sarcastically.

"Precisely." John said, and Linda blanched. Fred and Kelly couldn't help their grin. Frederick patted his commanders shoulder.

"Don't worry chief, we've got it all covered." Kelly's cogs were turning, everything the marine could possibly find romantic filtering through her head.

"I'm counting on you three, now, supplies, where do we start?" John asked.

013 often showered for a long time when she was stressed. She didn't know how to compartmentalize her interactions with the Chief, but she was grateful to have Lasky's punishment off her back. As hot water pelted her head, she heard the distinct sound of footsteps and idle chatter as someone else entered the shower hall.

"...yeah and I heard they've been sleeping together."

"seriously? That's a load of bull!"

"How else do you think she shirked off the commanders punishment? The Master Chief's one of highest ranking officers." Tutes froze. What? What on earth did she just hear? Surely she was mistaken...

"So they're really shaking up together?"

"They've gotta be. Honestly it sounds to me like the Unlucky thirteen is trying to sleep her way into some good luck." 013 felt her jaw go slack as soap suds slid down her face. Oh no. OH no oh no oh no. This was not happening. She wanted to tell the group off, but she also didn't want to be cornered in the shower room of all places. Why on earth would they think she was- oh no. the lunch. They had seen her leaving to meet with Lasky. No no no. This was so bad. It probably couldn't get much worse at this point. She shut the water off quickly, and pulled her towel into the stall with her to dry off, listening for any more gossip.

"Anyway, Some guys saw her leaving with this huge stain on her pants." someone snickered.

"you kidding me? Were they messing in the bushes?"

"Haha! Nah, I think it was food, but that wouldn't surprise me." 013 felt her face heating up considerably, as she rushed into her clothes and out the door. She practically ran to her dorm, only to sidetrack and derail in the opposite direction. She needed to see Jeff.

013 knocked rapidly on Jefferson's door, her face pale and mind spinning. The door slid open, and before Tutes could utter a single word, she was pulled inside.

"You wanna tell me what's going on?" he hissed slightly. "Cause the whole ship seems to think you're getting some pretty special treatment these days." tutes rubbed her face in exasperation.

"What the hell, does the whole ship know?!"

"I think I just told you, what the heck have you been up to with the spartans?" he asked.

"Nothing!" she defended, burning a nice red tint. "I've done nothing and people twisted a friendly, innocent lunch into a fifty shades of grey novel!" Jefferson groaned audibly.

"Bad luck again huh?" he asked.

"No kidding. I overheard someone in the shower saying I had- I had- you know! Can you believe that!?" Jefferson shrugged.

"Well you are known for getting into trouble, but still, this is a bit out of hand even for you." Jeff admitted. 013 huffed.

"I mean, I don't even know who saw me leave the gardens. There weren't a lot of people on the recreational deck. I don't even think most marines have access to that level anyway."

"All it takes is one wrong person. Maybe you should talk to Lasky, if he already hasn't that is. I can't imagine he hasn't already heard." Jefferson suggested. Tutes sat at the edge of his bed, head in her hands, letting out a frustrated groan.

"Come on Tutes, it could be worse. You could be facing court martial and misconduct charges." Jeff suggested. He heard her inhale sharply.

"No Jeff, I would RATHER have the court martial right now. What if the chief has heard the rumors, considering how fast they're spreading. What is he going to think?" Jeff contemplated that for a moment, rubbing his thumb against his chin.

"Maybe you should talk to him about it? I mean, I doubt there's much he could do, they wouldn't believe an involved party denouncing a rumor, but he'd know to look over his shoulder if he realized you two were being watched a little more closely now." tutes nodded in agreement. It wasn't a bad idea, and he knew they hadn't done anything. But she wasn't exactly looking forward to the awkward air the conversation would bring.

Fred walked down the hall toward the gym, hoping he would find his small female friend. She wasn't in her dorm so he figured the gym was the next best place. However, he was met with the sight of the little hooded vagabond in the halls as she slunk past the more populated areas of the ship. He smirked, and made his way to the wall before walking alongside her.

"Why so secretive 013? Hiding something from the board?"

"Wha...No! Why would you say that? I'm not some unsavory person who….does unsavory things.." she trailed off. Her record at the moment couldn't exactly support that statement. Fred just kept wearing his smirk.

"Mhm. So where you going?"

"Actually, I uhh, I need to find Chief, it's kinda important." she said softly. Fred couldn't believe his luck.

"I know where he is. I can take you to him." Frederick said cooly, hoping the girls were done setting up the dinner.

"Great! Can we uhh, take the back halls please?" she requested suspiciously. Fred raised an eyebrow, but complied.

John stood outside the designated meeting room as Kelly and linda finished their set up. He got a text from fred saying they better hurry, and ushered his sisters to finish quickly. Tutes wasn't the slightest suspicious, too nervous about the impending topic she needed to discuss with the Chief. When she and Frederick rounded the corner, it was all she could do make herself breathe normally at the sight of him. The chief nodded in politeness at the two as Fred spoke.

"This little miss was looking for you chief."

"Oh?" Well, that was a nice surprise.

"Yeah, um, you see, we kinda need to talk about something...in private. But not too private. Not questionably private." she needed to stop while she was ahead.

"alright, let's discuss it over dinner." Chief asked as Fred casually walked away.

"W-Wait. No, we need to talk about it now." 013 said, paling slightly.

"I understand. So let's have dinner now. I was intending to ask you anyway, so this works out perfectly." his features were subdued, but his pleased nature about how well the situation was going could be seen behind his eyes. Tutes wanted to facepalm at his flippant nature over the situation.

"I don't think that's really a good idea right now, just listen to me for-"

"We're ready!" Kelly's announcement as she burst into the hallway had 013 jumping out of her skin. Chief gave a small smile.

"Perfect. After you." he said, ushering her inside. Fred watched from the end of the hall, waiting for the catastrophe that was sure to be nothing short of entertaining.

"No- but-I-" she attempted to refute but he was relentless in his insisting. His hand pressed to the small of her back, guiding her inside the vacant room. Upon entering however, 013 realized she was even more sunk than she'd thought. The meeting table had been draped in a cream cloth that looked like it just might have been a repurposed curtain, and there were purple oddities placed about the table such as the lavender placemats and paper flowers.

"What have you people done?" she whispered in horror. There were two bowls of a pasta substance, and while she wanted to refuse the meal, Tutes couldn't help the way her mouth watered. Maybe talking over dinner was a better idea. Wait. Was this a date? The chief pulled out her chair for her.

"take a seat." then he pushed her chair in. Oh God it was a date.

"I uhh," How did she say this? How did she look him in the eye on a god forsaken date and tell him they were suspected of misconduct.

"so," he took his seat. "what did you wish to discuss?" her jaw went slack and she looked around the room idly.

"Well. I ran into...an issue.." she began carefully, placing a forkful in her mouth in an attempt to give herself time to figure out how best to explain herself. He followed suite, and she noticed his plate was much large. That didn't stop him from finishing first though.

"And what issue would that be?"

"Well, I guess you could say that I'm having a few issues with the ODSTs...again…" she trailed off. It was a frustrating task to make herself even look in his direction. John's face suddenly grew serious, and he lowered his fork.

"What happened?" his tone was stern. That wasn't quite the reaction she'd wanted.

"Well...some rumors were started, rumors that could be potentially harmful to my reputation in...many ways. I don't suppose you've..heard?" she asked tentatively. He briefly remembered the odd stares he'd received as he walked the halls.

"No. I haven't." 013 gulped. Great. Just great. She had to be straightforward with this.

"They think that I'm seeing someone for..benefits." she admitted. He squinted slightly at her. She wasnt that kind of person, at least not by his close observations.

"Are you?"

"No! I- ugh, how do I explain this.." she groaned, rubbing her temples in frustration as he waited patiently for her answer. "I got into some trouble and Lasky swept it under the mat but now..now it looks like-" The door opened then and a concerned captain lasky stepped inside.

"I need to talk to both of you in my office. Now."

013 was as pale as a ghost as she sat beside the Chief before the board. The chief simply sat in patience, awaiting the information he was obviously deprived of.

"What have you two been doing to cause such a mess?" The Captain asked in exasperation.

"I really don't know how to explain this sir, it's just really a big misunderstanding." 013 started. It was around this moment that John realised he was part of whatever issue was taking place, that it might have something to do with their meal meetings. He sat in silence, looking for clues in their speech.

"Designate 013, are you aware of the trouble you're in and the charges you're facing?" a grey bearded board member began.

"I...am aware of the implications that have been made against me, one's that I can assure you are untrue, as for the charges I'm not entirely sure which implications I'm being charged for as there are a lot floating around these days." she had to be very careful with how she worded things in this situation.

"Do you both, then, deny the fraternization you've been accused of partaking in, and can you prove it to be untrue?" another woman cut in.

"Well...With the captain as my witness I can assure you I used no connections to anyone to cop out of facing punishment, and..I'd be willing to accept such punishments if it would clear this issue up." she said with a dejected sigh. The woman's eyes narrowed.

"I'm afraid it's not that simple." Oh. John finally caught onto the implications and honestly wasn't too sure how to react to them. This was not good. He wasn't sure he had ever felt embarrassment like this before.

"please just let me explain before you make a decision. I've been breaking my back to prove my court martial void, and Captain Lasky knows this. I was late to a lineup because I overslept. I can't be expected to go through what's been happening the past few months and keep my A game up, so he swept it out of the loop for me. We discussed the reprocitions if there was ever a repeat of the situation." The chief wanted to speak, to refute, to defend, but no one was addressing him. He continued to listen to 013's explanation. "I...happened to run into the Chief beforehand, it just looked very questionable at the time but there was no connection between the two meetings I swear." she explained. The woman looked from her to Lasky, nodding for him to either refute or disclose the claim.

"It's true, I did meet with 013 and we did discuss what measures would be taken next time, I take full responsibility for not reporting the issue sooner." he said. The master chief huffed silently. He could end this entire discussion.

"Unfortunately Captain, the board cannot allow you to take responsibility for another marines shortcomings." the council member sighed exasperated. "Master Chief, is there anything _relevant_ you'd like to add to the discussion?" she asked. The Chief looked at the board members. Finally.

"All three of my spartans can attest that 013 and I haven't been in any physical relationship. I can also point out the people who were present during our lunch on the recreational deck and the very publicly viewable room we were seated in during dinner. You want us to give proof that this accusation is false, but can you prove it to be true?" the spartan left them the question, a slightly fed up look on his face. "You can check the cameras if need be. Neither of us have been inside a dorm long enough to do something that inappropriate without one of us leaving, or the someone else joining us in the room." 013 prayed his effusive statement wouldn't bring hell down on all three of them, but he was right. And they definitely were not going to like that.

"Do you understand, Master Chief, that if the records are searched and anything, whether it be pertaining to the accusations or other unchecked misconduct, there will be consequences." 013's head shot in his direction. A pleading look on her face that he'd see the trap. Then realization dawned on her. They were offering him a way out. They'd see her slip up during the line up call, and she'd be in trouble, but she alone. He was being handed a cop out ticket simply because they knew they could get her either way. The Chief was smart, right? He had to have some alternative plan. At least she hoped. The chief nodded in response, his quick intellect coming out.

"In that case, I should disclose that the rumors are not entirely untrue. I was the reason 013 was late to her line up." Tutes' eyes went from wary to wide.

"What? What are you talking abo-"

"I paid her a visit that morning with the intention of 'getting closer'." There was silence throughout the room. He was lying. The realization sent 013's mind spiraling.

"That never happened!" she exclaimed, gaining all eyes from the board, and a very confused Lasky.

"She denied my offer, so yes, nothing happened. I didn't realize I had caused her tardiness at the time. That's why I had asked her to lunch that afternoon, too apologize." John was lying through his teeth, and with how the board had been acting he held no guilt for it. Tutes may as well have let her jaw hit the floor.

"Wha- no no no no. That never happened, I mean we did have lunch together yes-"

"So it did happen then?" Lasky asked. He was clearly confused.

"No! I mean sort of." she was grasping at straws, and the Chief...well he just looked so damn proud of himself, looking like a smug high schooler sitting in a kindergartener's chair.

"So then yes. It did happen." the female board member clarified and 013 looked between the Chief, Lasky, and the board in helpless disbelief. Chief looked at her side eyed, edging her to agree so they could move on with their lives. She made a few incoherent attempts at denial, before slouching.

"Yeah...that's...that's what happened...basically." she grumbled, crossing her arms.

"well then, I believe this case is closed. Commander Lasky will decide a punishment for both of you, one that doesn't involve sweeping things under the rug." another council member decided in a clipped tone. 013 let out a shaky breath and nodded in understanding as the board filtered out of the room.

"I don't even know where to begin." the Captain muttered with his head in his hands.

"Can we just take a moment...to acknowledge the fact...THAT YOU LIED." 013 said, raising her voice as she turned towards the Spartan next to her. "If we weren't guilty before, _we are now._ " she pointed out.

"They can't prove what my intentions _were._ All that they are aware of is that I attempted to get closer to you. That could mean a plethora of different things." He pointed out casually as he stood.

" YOU WEREN'T IN MY ROOM DIRTBAG!"

"That's enough! You two...you two have made a fine mess of things here today. I don't know if the rumors are true, and frankly I don't _want_ to. I expect both of you to be in here bright and early tomorrow morning to do _my_ paperwork. And maybe I'll sleep in, take a day off. Lord knows I need it after the sweat storm that just went down." 013 watched in shock as the captain quite frankly chewed her and the spartan out.

"Fair enough." she mumbled, shooting the chief a glare. Lasky sighed heavily before waving a hand.

"You're both dismissed. I don't wanna see you for the next 2400." with that dismissal, 013 turned on her heel and exited the room. Her pride had been dug right out her body and run over by a dump truck today, and she wanted nothing more than to go back to her dorm and cry. The chief could tell, and his worry at another burned bridge pushed him out of his chair and after her.

"013."

"No." she kept walking, but alas his longer strides met her own too quickly.

"Tutes." He said. That was new. So was the hand that gently grabbed her wrist.

"No, I don't wanna talk to you. Quite frankly I don't want to talk to anyone. My reputation is ruined, which is rather impressive since I already thought I was at the bottom of the slums, and now I'm stuck filling in for Lasky over a huge ass misunderstanding." she hissed sardonically. "I want nothing more than to go home, and cry in the deepest darkest crevice I can find, and even then none of my problems will be fixed, so tell me why the heck I should want to listen to anything you say?" she said vehemently, pulling her wrist from his grasp as she stopped walking. Well. This was definitely _not_ in the plan. John didn't know what to think, all he felt was horrible and somehow it was seeping onto his facial features.

"I'm sorry. I didn't want a repeat of last time, and it was the only way i could think of to get you out of trouble." He pleaded. She hadn't seen him seem remotely desperate before. This was just a barrage of new chiefly discoveries wasn't it.

"So you said you had intentions? Do you have any idea what that sounds like? I mean honestly! What was that even supposed to mean?" she rebuttled. John just gave her an innocent stare.

"Exactly what I said, to get closer to you." She took a calculated step back, eyes widening as she gave him a distrustful look. "No, not like that." he corrected. "I want to get to know you better. That's why I asked you to lunch. And dinner." Well, luck seemed to be on his side today. His usual lack of words had turned into abundance.

"I've been alive long enough to know that dinner can lead to a lot of things." she said bitterly. She hadn't come to a conclusion yet, but if his endgame was just...just...and to think she was so genuinely interested in him. But...was _that_ all he wanted from her? Was that what he was playing at. Sure, a small part of her was flattered, maybe even a little giddy at the idea of holding such attention, but it ultimately soured in the grand scheme of things. She had more pride in herself than what she feared he was implying.

"Today was Valentine's Day, correct? Jefferson informed me it was a holiday to show the people you care about how _much_ you care for them. That's was the purpose of dinner." He clarified. 013 felt a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. And then it happened. They leaked out of her eyes before she could stop them, before she could remind herself that he probably had no clue what to do with such a reaction. Her tears pooled at the tip of her chin as the stress melted off of her. John said nothing. He didn't need to. All he needed to do was wrap her in a strong, sturdy embrace. And that's exactly what he did. His moment of verbal luck had run out, but that's why he had other ways of communicating. Afterall, this method worked last time. She wanted to wrap her arms around him too, but his width was bulkier than her arms were long, and she settled for grabbing two fists of his grey shirt.

"You idiot. You big, stupid, dumb ass." she whimpered, her free hand pounding on his chest lightly. She couldn't decide if she wanted to yell at him or snuggle deeper into the warmth of his chest. He opted for the snuggle.

"I know." he agreed. There was a kindness in his voice, and he pulled her even closer. She stifled a sniffle, suddenly realizing that she was out in the open. Her first reaction was to pull away, but she met resistance.

"no." it wasn't harsh, but it was a command. "Stay." that was a request. She merely nodded, unsure of how to respond. This whole mess was over something as dumb as Valentines day. So stupid. So irritating. So sweet. Did he even understand the implications of the Holiday? He probably didn't.

"You know-" she paused to clear her nose, not liking the plugged sound the snot gave her voice. "You know Valentine's day is a couple's tradition, right?" she asked a little sardonically, not removing her face from his tear stained shirt. The hand at the small of her back was radiating such a soothing heat, and the one on her shoulder felt like a calming weight placed upon her.

"Oh?" his tone was curious.

"Yeah. People who are in love and crap do dumb stuff like get eachother flowers and cuddle, and go on dates. And annoy single people." she added as a resentful afterthought. "The whole thing is a breeding ground for drama." she mumbled, looking to the side as she leaned back against his grip, tired of the damp heat of his shirt. He only shrugged, looking down at her. "I think it's safe to assume that wasn't your goal here." she said pointedly.

"I already told you my intentions. I only hope we are on the same page now." 013 was silent for a moment. She wasn't sure if he was saying what she thought he was, or if wishful thinking had gotten the better of her.

"As...more than acquaintances?" she asked. She wasn't sure how else to go about asking her question. "Or…" her throat closed up a bit, preventing her from finishing her question. "You know, don't you?" she finalized. Why was this so nerve racking? Maybe because she wasn't sure how real the situation was? If he had figured her out, then surely she wouldn't have to admit things out loud. And if he didn't she could always brush it off as something else. Either way, she held her breath in anticipation.

"Of course." the Chief retracted his arms, his harge hands resting on her shoulders.

"And...you want to...advance on that?" she asked for clarification. Good lord this must have been the worst scene to put on right in the middle of the hall. An idea popped into his head. A terrible and amazing idea. He leaned down and whispered into her ear.

"yes." she felt something brush her temple. Something anyone could have identified. It was a ghostly feeling, but a kiss nonetheless. She was now immensely cognizant of the cracks and crevices of his lips, his thumb brushing her shoulder, the hot air that hit her ear, and the warmth radiating off of him.

Well.

The chief pulled away and gauged the reaction to his risky course of action. 013 was frozen in place for a moment, body stiff and lips parted. She stared unseeingly ahead, her brain still sifting through it's reboot cycle. Blinking, she looked up at his face, eyes so wide that they watered from the onslaught of oxygen. She briefly wondered if they might pop out of her skull. A multitude of thoughts raced through her brain. This would only inflame the rumors. She was likely going to be confirmed a garden supply after this got out. She was going to have that damn Stacy on her back for the rest of her life. But hot damn. "You missed." she whispered so quietly that even he didn't hear her.

"Pardon?" He asked, raising a wary eyebrow, leaning down to hear her better. He hadn't realized she could move so fast until her hands were behind his neck, and the sheer surprise caused him not to resist when she pulled him a little lower, just enough to reach his lips with her own.


End file.
